So I was going to write a post about something else this week but I’ve been thinking about food so much lately, that I couldn’t help but post another recipe! Necessity is indeed the mother of invention. When I walked into my kitchen the other night, starving, there was barely anything decent to be found. I had some leftover black beans in the fridge and that got me thinking about what I could whip up with them. I ended up creating a tofu crumble reminiscent of ground beef or turkey, with sauteed onions, the black beans, and salad fixings. And it was so, so good! It took twenty minutes at the most and filled me up without leaving me feeling heavy. Ready for this super simple, quick, nutritious meal?!
This recipe starts out very white, but don’t fear, it ends up very colorful! I cut up some thick slices of white onion and put them in a pan with a splash of olive oil on medium heat. I let those sizzle for a couple of minutes. Take any kind of tofu you like. I used the Trader Joe’s Organic Sprouted Tofu Extra Firm, it works the best for crumbling and having a ground meat consistency. This particular brand is in the refrigerated section. Use your hands to crumble it into the pan and give everything a quick stir. You can turn the heat down to low or med-low.
Next I added seasonings: Cumin, chili powder, and paprika. I wait to add the salt and pepper until all the ingredients are in the pan. It’s easier for me to see how much S&P I need when everything is mixed together, but do whatever works for you.
Finally, the beans! I had used a can of organic black beans earlier in the day, that I had already drained and rinsed. What you see in the picture above is probably 1/2 cup of beans. I mix the beans in once the onions are translucent and slightly brown. This is when I add my salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I stir everything and then give the beans a couple minutes to heat up in the pan.
Transfer your bean and tofu mixture into a bowl. If you’re a fan of nutritional yeast, now would be a good time to stir some in for a hint of cheesiness. I didn’t think of it until later, so I ended up sprinkling mine on the top of the salad fixings, but it blends better when it’s slightly warm. I shredded some lettuce, tossed it in, then added tomato and a generous squeezing of lime. The only thing I didn’t have was avocado, which was very upsetting because it would have been so perfect with this dish!
Here’s a quick breakdown on the health benefits of the two main ingredients: black beans & tofu
Black beans – high in protein, zero cholesterol, contain iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, folate, zinc, and phosphorus, high in fiber, and have more antioxidants than any other type of bean
Tofu – high in protein, low in fat, helps prevent certain types of cancer (when not eaten in excess), lowers cholesterol, contains calcium, magnesium, copper, selenium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, and zinc. And since tofu is fermented, this allows for higher absorbency of nutrients.
That’s it, folks. Told you it was easy. And to accompany the taco part of this recipe, eat it with bean chips such as Beanitos (their “restaurant style” chips are like tortilla chips but better!). I just grabbed a fork and dug right in, and was so happy. This is a great recipe because you can do whatever you want with it. It’s easy to substitute ingredients and get creative.
- Non-gmo extra firm tofu
- Cooked black beans (canned or cook them yourself)
- White onion
- Olive oil
- Seasonings: Cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder
- Toppings: Lettuce, tomato, avocado, lime, nutritional yeast
- I didn’t put measurements for this recipe because you really don’t need them. There’s no way to mess this up! Use whatever ratios you like. Eyeball it. Seriously. It’s so easy.
- Saute onions in small amount of olive oil.
- Crumple tofu into pan and add cumin, paprika, and chili powder. Stir together.
- Add black beans and let cook on low heat for about five minutes.
- Transfer to bowl, stir in nutritional yeast (optional).
- Top with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and fresh lime juice. Voila!
♥ Jillian
Love this! I have been experimenting with tofu the last two weeks, and honestly every recipe I seem to fine….include soy sauce and tumeric…while this is yummy, I am getting burnt out! Thank you! I am so reading all of your recipes now. My husband eats alot of meat, I have never been a fan but have always forced myself. Finally my husband got tired of seeing me only eating the side dishes at dinner lol, and told me to figure out some way to get to eat healthily. So sorry for the long comment, its just refreshing to see something simple and different!! I buy alot of the banyon foods tofu crumbles along with the blocks. I would love to see some recipes with the precooked crumbles.
Wanted to give this post 5 stars
Hi M’lissa, I’m so glad you like the recipe! I didn’t know Banyan made tofu crumbles, I’ve only seen the blocks, so I’ll have to check that out! I agree that tofu recipes can get boring real fast. You might also like my recipe for Popcorn Tofu Chikin & Sauteed Veggies. It’s a little more involved but so delicious! And lately I’ve been swapping out tofu for tempeh in some of my recipes. Have you ever tried tempeh? You might like it!